AP-OR–3rd Right Now/1139
CITY COUNCILOR-SEX ABUSE
Former city councilor pleads no contest to sexual abuse
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) — A former city councilor in Estacada, about 30 miles southeast of Portland, has pleaded no contest to sexually abusing a female relative for six years starting when she was 6.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports 34-year-old Curt Steininger entered the plea Tuesday and also pleaded no contest to possessing child pornography.
An eight-year prison sentence will be recommended as part of a plea agreement. Steininger was indicted in July 2014 and arrested soon after.
Steininger, an Oregon Army National Guard veteran and father of five, won a seat on the Estacada City Council in 2012. He resigned in April 2014 citing family obligations, National Guard duties and aspirations to obtain a bachelor’s degree as factors. Steininger’s wife filed for divorce that same month.
Sentencing is set for mid-August.
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BODY FOUND-SALEM LAKE
Police investigating after body found in Salem lake
(Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.com)
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Police are investigating after they found a body floating in a Salem lake.
The Statesman Journal reports police recovered a body Tuesday afternoon from Blue Gill Lake near Cascades Gateway Park. Police say the mission was one of recovery and not rescue.
The identity of the person found and cause of death have not yet been released.
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SHERIFF’S CORPORAL-PLEA
Ex-sheriff’s corporal admits choking deputy
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Washington County Sheriff’s Office corporal who was fired last year over domestic violence allegations has pleaded guilty to choking a fellow employee.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Jonathan Christensen pleaded guilty Tuesday to coercion, strangulation and official misconduct. An assault charge against him will be dropped as part of his plea deal with prosecutors.
Attorney Steven Myers says Christensen could avoid jail time if the court accepts the plea agreement.
Christensen was fired last August and indicted on the charges in December.
According to his termination letter, a former romantic partner and sheriff’s office deputy was granted a restraining order against Christensen. The woman said he grabbed her hair, shoved her against a wall and grabbed her around the neck when she tried to end the relationship.
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RACIAL INTIMIDATION ARREST
Lane County man accused of racial intimidation
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A Lane County man is facing charges on accusations that he threatened another man who says he no longer feels safe living near Creswell after the suspect told him to leave the neighborhood and shouted racial slurs at him.
Rodney Blomberg has pleaded not guilty to an intimidation charge and was released from jail on $2,000 bail.
Lane County sheriff’s officials say the suspect drove up to the victim’s home in a vehicle with a Confederate flag attached to it. He had reportedly been with three other men when he approached the victim, told him to leave and said the racial slurs.
Court documents say the victim reported no longer feeling safe because of the June 27 incident.
CORPORATE TAX
Businesses raise $5M to fight unions’ mega November tax hike
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A business coalition has filed campaign paperwork this week revealing $5.26 million in political donations aimed at fighting Initiative Petition 28, the public unions’ massive corporate tax hike proposal on the November ballot.
Defeat The Tax On Oregon Sales lists hundreds of corporate donors opposing the $3 billion-annual tax proposal on Oregon’s biggest businesses, including corporate giants such as Nike Inc., Walmart, Comcast, Costco and Macy’s.
By comparison, the IP 28 campaign has raised about $450,000 in mostly in-kind donations from the measure’s union-backed nonprofit, Our Oregon.
Businesses and labor groups are expected to pour tens of millions of dollars through Election Day into fighting over IP 28, which is the largest such tax proposal in state history.
OIL TRAIN ACCIDENTS
APNewsBreak: Slow progress seen on faulty rail cars
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. safety officials say they’ve seen slow progress in efforts to upgrade or replace tens of thousands of rupture-prone rail cars used to transport oil and ethanol, despite a string of fiery derailments.
National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt told The Associated Press on Tuesday that federal regulators need to set milestones to hold the industry accountable for getting unsafe cars off the tracks.
Figures provided by the Association of American Railroads indicate just over 10,000 stronger tank cars are available for service.
That’s equivalent to roughly one-fifth of the 51,500 tank cars used to haul crude and ethanol during the first quarter of 2016. The NTSB says all of the older cars are prone to rupture.
Tom Simpson with the Railway Supply Institute says the industry is committed to putting stronger cars in place but demand has eased as shipments have decreased with lower oil prices.
COUNTY LAWSUIT-LAND MANAGEMENT
Oregon seeks dismissal of timber-management lawsuit
ALBANY, Ore. (AP) — The state has asked for the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Linn County that alleges Oregon officials have mismanaged forest lands.
Linn County contends Oregon has deprived counties of more than $1.4 billion by prioritizing environmental concerns instead of logging.
The Capital Press reports that an Oregon attorney said during oral arguments Monday that the case should be tossed because the forests are meant to be managed for the greatest permanent value, and that includes factors beyond timber production.
Counties acquired these forest lands by foreclosing on property tax liens during the Great Depression but turned them over to state ownership in exchange for a portion of future logging revenues.
An attorney representing Linn County said the counties would not have donated the land if they’d known the state would change the terms of the deal.
CENTRAL OREGON MOSQUITOES
Central Oregon counties take aim at mosquito larvae
(Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com)
BEND, Ore. (AP) — Officials in central Oregon are targeting mosquito larva to keep the insect’s population down this summer.
The Bulletin reports that the Four Rivers Vector Control District is using corncob granules as larvicide. The granules are coated with bacteria that the Environmental Protection Agency says is toxic to mosquito larvae, black flies and gnats, but won’t harm humans, water supplies or wildlife.
Vector control district manager Chad Stubblefield says a helicopter was able to spread the granules across mosquito havens on the upper Deschutes River in minutes. Walking crews take longer, but they also apply the larvicide daily by hand from spring through early fall.
Crook County Vector Control District manager Cliff Kiser says his county also targets larva in standing water, like flood-irrigated pastures, ponds and swamps.
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Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
